Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;yodanville&#39;

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yodanville’, characterized by its uniform and upright plant habit; strong, moderately vigorous, and very freely branching growth habit; dark green foliage; uniform flowering response; early flowering, eight-week response time; large decorative-type inflorescences that are about 9.3 cm in diameter; dark lavender pink ray florets that twist slightly as inflorescences develop; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for at least four weeks in an interior environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yodanville’.

[0002] The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars thatare suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit,good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fastresponse time, and excellent postproduction longevity.

[0003] The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plantmutation of a proprietary induced mutation that originated by exposingunrooted cuttings of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selectionidentified as YB-5273, not patented, to X-ray radiation. The newChrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a singleflowering plant within a population of plants of the irradiatedselection in March, 1998, in Fort Myers, Fla. The selection of thisplant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor, desirableinflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, and excellentpostproduction longevity. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differprimarily from plants of the parent selection and the cultivars DarkYodanville, Orange Yodanville and Yellow Yodanville, U.S. Plant Patentapplications filed concurrently with this application, in ray floretcolor.

[0004] Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tipcuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in June, 1998. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The cultivar Yodanville has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

[0006] The following traits have been repeatedly observed and aredetermined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yodanville’. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yodanville’ as a new anddistinct Chrysanthemum:

[0007] 1. Uniform and upright plant habit.

[0008] 2. Strong, moderately vigorous, and very freely branching growthhabit.

[0009] 3. Dark green foliage.

[0010] 4. Uniform flowering response.

[0011] 5. Typically grown as a disbud-type.

[0012] 6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

[0013] 7. Large decorative-type inflorescences that are about 9.3 cm indiameter.

[0014] 8. Dark lavender pink ray florets that twist slightly as theinflorescences develop giving inflorescences a cactus-dahlia appearance.

[0015] 9. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaininggood substance and color for at least four weeks in an interiorenvironment.

[0016] Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Pomona, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,802. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of thenew Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Pomona in thefollowing characteristics:

[0017] 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week earlierthan plants of the cultivar Pomona.

[0018] 2. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum is lighter than rayfloret color of the cultivar Pomona.

[0019] 3. Under high light conditions, ray floret color of the newChrysanthemum does not fade whereas ray floret color of plants of thecultivar Pomona fades.

[0020] 4. Inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum produce fewer discflorets than inflorescences of the cultivar Pomona.

[0021] Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar Charm, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,502. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif.,plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Charmin the following characteristics:

[0022] 1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are denser and fuller thanplants of the cultivar Charm.

[0023] 2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly thanplants of the cultivar Charm.

[0024] 3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum tolerate winter productionconditions much better than plants of the cultivar Charm.

[0025] 4. Ray florets of the new Chrysanthemum twist slightly withdevelopment whereas ray florets of the cultivar Charm do not twist withdevelopment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

[0026] The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overallappearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Chrysanthemum. The photograph at the top of the sheet comprisesa top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yodanville’grown a disbud-type. The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprisesa close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Yodanville’ grown as adisbud-type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, color references are made to TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the autumn inSalinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 4,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/longnight treatments were started. Plants used for this description weregrown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

[0028] Botanical Classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivarYodanville.

[0029] Commercial Classification: Decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum.

[0030] Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of aproprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium induced mutation, not patented.

[0031] Propagation:

[0032]Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

[0033]Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

[0034]Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

[0035]Root description.—Fibrous and well-branched.

[0036] Plant Description:

[0037]Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemumtypically grown as a disbud-type. Stems upright and outwardly spreadinggiving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching,about five lateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex(pinching); dense and fall plants. Moderate vigor.

[0038]Plant height.—About 31.5 cm.

[0039]Plant width.—About 48 cm.

[0040]Lateral branches.—Length: About 29 cm. Diameter: About 5.5 mm.Internode length: About 2.1 cm. Strength: Very strong. Texture:Pubescent. Color: 144A.

[0041]Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leavesper lateral stem: About 15. Length: About 9.5 cm. Width: About 7.6 cm.Apex: Acute to cuspidate. Base: Mostly truncate. Margin: Palmatelylobed, sinuses between lateral lobes parallel to divergent. Texture:Upper and lower surfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent onlower surface. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A.Young foliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B. Mature foliage, uppersurface: 147A. Mature foliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, bothsurfaces: 146B. Petiole length: About 1.7 cm. Petiole diameter: About 3mm. Petiole color: 146C.

[0042] Inflorescence Description:

[0043]Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with elongatedoblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Notfragrant. Typically grown as a disbud-type.

[0044]Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about 52 days later when grown during the summer and flower about57 days later when grown during the winter.

[0045]Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for at least four weeks in an interior environment.

[0046]Quantity of inflorescences.—Produced as a disbud-type, all thelateral inflorescences are removed leaving only the terminalinflorescence.

[0047]Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1.1 cm.Color: 143A.

[0048]Inflorescence size.—Diameter: Large, about 9.3 cm. Depth (height):About 2.5 cm. Diameter of disc: About 4 mm, inconspicious. Receptaclediameter: About 1.2 cm.

[0049]Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initiallyupright, then about 90° from vertical or perpendicular to the peduncle.Aspect: Initially incurved to flat to somewhat convex and slightlytwisted. Length: About 4.5 cm. Width: About 1.1 cm. Corolla tube length:About 3 mm. Apex: Emarginate, dentate or acute. Base: Attenuate; shortcorolla tube. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Numberof ray florets per inflorescence: Numerous, more than 250. Color: Whenopening, upper surface: Initially, 145A, then 75A overlain with 77A.When opening, lower surface: 155D faintly underlain with 77A. Fullyopened, upper surface: 75A overlain with 77A. Fully opened, lowersurface: 155D faintly underlain with 77A.

[0050]Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle,inconspicuous. Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length:About 5 mm. Width: Apex, about 1.5 mm; base, about 1 mm. Number of discflorets per inflorescence: About 24. Color: Immature: 145A to 154A.Mature: Apex: 9A. Mid-section and base: 155D.

[0051]Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only.Anther color: 13A. Pollen amount: None. Gynoecium: Present on both rayand disc florets.

[0052]Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

[0053] Disease Resistance: Resistance to pathogens common toChrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under commercialgreenhouse conditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yodanville’, as illustrated and described.